Clinical Trial: Prevention Trial Assessing Paper-Tape in Endurance Distances II (Pre-TAPED II)

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Prevention Trial Assessing Paper-Tape in Endurance Distances II (Pre-TAPED II)

Brief Summary: Friction foot blisters are one of the most common and often debilitating complaints of all athletes, and hikers and runners in particular. Blistering rates in the literature of outdoor hikers range from 7%-54%. This study's aim is to build on Pre-TAPED I, and determine whether applying paper tape to the areas of the foot where blisters historically occur in endurance runners can prevent the incidence of friction blisters.

Detailed Summary:

Participants will be ultra-endurance athletes competing in Racing the Planet's 250 mile/7 day 4 Desert events in 2014 (Jordan, Gobi, Madagascar, and Atacama. A convenience sample will be used, with full consent signed before inclusion into the study, with participants being informed that study inclusion is entirely optional and will not affect medical care. Randomization will be conducted for each participant, a coin will be flipped to determine which foot is to be taped, heads - right foot, and tails, left foot. The non-taped foot will be used as a control. The runner's normal sock/shoe system will be used to reflect natural wilderness conditions. Participants will have demographic data collected prior to the race, including age, gender, country of origin, number of marathons run prior, pack weight, and sock type. The study endpoint occurs when a hot spot or blister develops on either the treated or untreated foot. Runners will be instructed to treat suspected blisters or hot spots as they normally would, and to inform the study administrators the same day for visual inspection and final questionnaire to determine if they develop blisters or hot spots, whether they applied or re-applied tape themselves, removed tape, and the reasons for these actions.

Participants will have tape applied to area(s) prone to blister on 1 foot, if no blister history, 1 area will be randomly assigned. The tape will be left on the selected foot until a blister or hot spot develops on either foot or the end of the race, whichever comes first. At that point, the study is over and the participant can continue or stop taping at their choice. If participants are prone to blisters or hot spots in particular areas, 1" paper tape applied to that site on trial foot. However, if the participant has no previous blister or hot spot experience, a site will be randomly assigned by picking a piece of p
Sponsor: Stanford University

Current Primary Outcome: Count of Participants With Any Foot Blister in Taped or Untaped Area of the Foot [ Time Frame: within 7 days of application of tape ]

Blister data were collected without regard to whether the foot was right or left.


Original Primary Outcome: occurrence of a foot blister [ Time Frame: within 7 days of application of tape ]

The first occurrence of any blister or hot spot on either foot will be the endpoint of the study.


Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: Stanford University

Dates:
Date Received: September 13, 2013
Date Started: February 2014
Date Completion:
Last Updated: April 7, 2017
Last Verified: April 2017